The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a hockey stick, and the blade thereof, and more particularly to a hockey stick and blade made out of synthetic materials or a combinations of wood and synthetic materials to provide a hockey stick possessing characteristics similar to or exactly like a totally wooden hockey stick.
Hockey sticks conventionally have been made and are constructed of wood, wood-fiberglass, wood-fiberglass and polycarbonate, or combinations, all of which are hereinafter referred to as "wooden hockey sticks". Usually handcrafted to specification, these sticks have been used by experienced players and the public as the norm for many years. Current "wooden hockey sticks" are inherently subjected, through use, to chipping, peeling, splintering, cracking, warping, delaminating, etc. Numerous and varied substitutes and combinations have been advanced in the past twenty years and some have improved lifetime but the substitutes do not possess the combination of weight, balance, blade size and stiffness qualities of a completely wooden stick and consequently are not totally acceptable. The experienced player insists on a stick with the characteristics of a good totally wooden hockey stick and is reluctant to accept a substitute without its equivalent "good" characteristics. The blade size, total weight, weight distribution or feel, and stiffness and strength of the whole stick, must be duplicated and simulated as though it were totally wood if the stick is to be accepted by the experienced player. Unfortunately, a totally wood stick as a very poor lifetime because it does not hold up well under the conditions in which it is used.
A conventional totally wooded hockey stick of proper characteristics has a gross weight of approximately 600 grams, or less, of which approximately 450 grams is in the handle portion, and 150 grams is in the blade portion, (the blade portion being considered that portion of the stick 5" vertically upward from the blade "heel" end of the stick). It is common today that in practice a wood-fiberglass blade or wood-fiberglass and polycarbonate or similar thermoplastic material blade or a totally synthetic blade has a physical size of about 10" along the base, which rests against the ice and 21/2" in width. This is an area of approximately 25 sq" for the blade. The rules permit a blade size of no larger than a base of 121/2" touching the ice and a width of less than 3". This is an area of approximately 371/2 sq". As is easily seen, none of the current design wood-fiberglass or other synthetic combinations can meet the maximum size allowable by the rules without being too heavy. Consequently, the blade sizes have been reduced to keep the weight low and to keep the stick balanced. The smaller than allowable blade size significantly effects the functional performance of the stick since it makes it more difficult for the players to control the puck.
A further characteristic is the weight distribution and "feel" of the stick; this characteristic is extremely critical as players insist that it resemble the traditionally total wooden stick. Stiffness or, conversely, flexibility, is another characteristic that must be simulated with a closeness. A stick of suitable design suspended as a simple beam across two support points forty-five inches apart should not deflect more than one inch with a weight of forty-seven and one-half pounds suspended at its wide midpoint. This would be classified as a stiff stick. Additionally, a stick suspended as a simple beam upon two support points forty-four inches apart should support at least one hundred eighty pounds at the wide midpoint before breaking.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,288 to L. J. Goverde, Mar. 22, 1977, is illustrative of an attempt to provide a substitute stick, the final result being inadequate, as the end product is not accepted by the experienced players as an acceptable substitute.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,269 issued Nov. 22, 1977, to A. J. Tittola, is a further example of such an approach for the blade portion of the stick. The acceptance is poor since the substituted material that is used has a higher specific gravity, and the blade must be either smaller, or heavier, or both, the alternatives being unacceptable.
The handle of a conventional stick is commonly made of ash for its longitudinal strength and stiffness and is approximately up to 58" long today, although in past years it was approximately 55". The blade is made from rock-elm or birch in the totally wooden sticks with possible overlays or underlays of fiberglass for their wear and impact qualities. Some hockey sticks use a solid core of wear-resistant material such as polycarbonate in the blade area with the surface overlays of re-enforcement, such as glass, and some of these also have overlays of wood on the surface.
It is the object of this invention to provide a hockey stick which will duplicate the balance, weight and stiffness characteristics of a good but totally wooden hockey stick but which additionally eliminate the deficiency of a totally wooden hockey stick or currently available wood-fiberglass or other combination sticks. In order to accomplish this there must be tradeoffs and innovations in design, materials and structure which are novel and unique and which permit the actual blade size to approach the allowable size permitted by the rules without the same blade being too heavy and thereby causing imbalance in the use of the total hockey stick.
To achieve the strength and feel characteristic of the handle and provide a more durable product, a hollow handle, such as shown in the patent to D. R. Franck et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,412, can be provided which simulates and duplicates the properties of an ash handle.
The blade portion of the stick and particularly the core of the blade is preferrably constructed and manufactured by an injection molding technique similar to that shown in the patent to L. J. Goverde, U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,288, or it could also be cast without using injection molding. The base structure of the core of the blade is fabricated from a polycarbonate or other similar thermoplastic material and then covered on both striking surfaces with a material such as Scotchply.RTM. pre-preg (graphite or fiberglass) to duplicate the properties and characteristics of the elm or birch blade, and, further provide a more durable product. As it was stated hereinbefore, the duplication of weight, weight distribution and strength characteristics require a trade off which involves a consideration of the flexural strength, tensile strength, flexural modulus, resin content and specific gravities of the numerous materials necessary to construct the stick, which will be described hereinafter.
To achieve the proper effect and blade size and proper weight and weight distribution, the blade base or core is fabricated with apertures extending there through. Similar cores have been advanced by L. J. Goverde, U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,288, and A. J. Tittola, U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,269, however, neither approach has considered the necessity of parameter matching or combinations of materials to provide or simulate the characteristics of a wooden stick that has been improved. It has been found that a stronger blade possessing the proper impact qualities, weight, weight distribution and striking area, is produced by providing holes, located properly thereby preserving the maximum amount of the polycarbonate or other synthetic material in certain areas on the principal striking surfaces and to insure proper bonding. The principles will be more clearly understood by a reading of the detailed description set forth hereinafter. It is obvious that such an approach permits the retention of the proper area in the striking surface and still provides the other desired parameters.
The blade and handle assemblies can be separately constructed and joined. Thus, by constructing the entire stick in the manner a wooden stick is made, and by simulating and duplicating the characteristics and properties of the individual portions of the wooden stick, a hockey stick is created that will satisfy the lifetime and functional requirements of the player and the cost and price requirements of the manufacturer.